Culinary SOS: Butternut squash soup from Flavor Del Mar

Flavor del Mar's butternut squash soup

Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times

A perfect fall dish, roasted butternut squash is combined with onion and garlic and finished with rich cream in this soup, a touch of fragrant nutmeg and cinnamon rounding out the flavors. Read the recipe »

A perfect fall dish, roasted butternut squash is combined with onion and garlic and finished with rich cream in this soup, a touch of fragrant nutmeg and cinnamon rounding out the flavors. Read the recipe » (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

Dear SOS: On our anniversary we had dinner at Flavor del Mar in San Diego County. I had an amazing butternut squash soup. I asked our waiter what the spices were. He said the chef did not give out information and recipes. I am wondering whether you can get me the recipe. I have tried various ones and cannot duplicate the flavors. My mouth waters just thinking about the soup.

Dear Lynn: A perfect fall dish, roasted butternut squash is combined with onion and garlic and finished with rich cream in this soup, a touch of fragrant nutmeg and cinnamon rounding out the flavors. Flavor del Mar was happy to share its recipe with us, which we've adapted below.

Flavor del Mar's butternut squash soup

Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes, plus roasting time for the squash

Servings: 8 to 10

Note: Adapted from Flavor del Mar in Del Mar.

5 pounds butternut squash (about 2 medium)

2 tablespoons oil

Salt and pepper

3/4 pound onions (1 large or 2 medium onions), coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic

4 1/4 cups milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup (½ stick) plus 2 tablespoons butter

2 cups chicken broth

3/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup heavy cream

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Halve the squash lengthwise, scooping out and discarding the seeds. Place the squash on a large cookie sheet, brushing the top of each half with the oil. Sprinkle one-half teaspoon each salt and pepper over the halves. Roast the halves until golden-brown and a knife easily pierces the flesh, 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the thickness of the squash. Remove and set aside until cool enough to handle, then scoop out the roasted flesh, discarding the shells.

2. In a 4-quart pot, combine the roasted butternut squash flesh with the onion, garlic, milk, sugar, butter, broth, nutmeg and cinnamon. Season with one-half teaspoon salt and one-fourth teaspoon pepper, or to taste. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook for about 45 minutes to marry the flavors.

On a recent morning, I walked through downtown L.A.'s Grand Central Market — cortado from G&B in one hand; in the other, a cloth bag holding, among other things, a half-empty jar of Nutella and a spoon. I wanted to buy some bread, and at Clark Street Bread, baker-owner Zack Hall, his...